Bug Bytes

Of all the different kinds of insects and arthropods we encounter, on average, people tend to be most afraid of spiders. But with their big eyes and fuzzy little bodies, jumping spiders are the cute puppy dogs of the spider world.

When it comes to the topic of evolution Charles Darwin is "the man." In 1859, his book, On the Origin of Species provided compelling evidence that transformed the theory of evolution into widely accepted fact.

So you’re digging in the garden and see something crawling in the freshly turned soil. With its many legs, it’s clearly not a worm. But what is it? A millipede or a centipede?

If you’ve ever noticed a group of ants milling about on a leaf or the stem of a plant and wondered why, take a closer look. You might only be seeing half of what’s going on. While they lack pickup trucks, fencing pliers, and other tools of the trade of their human counterparts, these ants are likely ranchers. But instead of cows, they’re carefully tending their herd of aphids.

When you think of an animal with an impressive weapon, the first images that pop to mind might be a bull elk or moose with their massive antlers. Or maybe a bull elephant with its enormous tusks. But the king of weaponry in the animal kingdom might surprise you: a fiddler crab that’s less than 2 inches long.

We’ve all done it. Most of us have joked about it. Even animals do it. Pooting. Tooting. Who ever denied it, supplied it. We all pass gas. But did you know that insects fart too? And in the case of the beaded lacewing, they lend a whole new meaning to “silent, but deadly.”

For some people it’s spiders. For others it’s centipedes. But for many people, the answer to “What kind of bug really creeps you out” is earwigs. Maybe it’s the big pincers at the end of their abdomen? Maybe it’s the fact that it's a bug with the word “ear” in its name. Whatever the case, they’re not high on many people’s lists of lovable insects.

There are many games you probably played as a child. Games that for all intents and purposes were innocent and safe. But who would imagine that a game of “follow the leader” could be deadly? It certainly can be for army ants. In fact, it can actually result in the death of the entire swarm.

The next time you discover a new restaurant that you love, try telling your friends about it through interpretive dance. That’s what you would do if you were a honeybee.

If any beetle was said to have an “explosive personality,” it would have to be the bombardier beetle. They may appear to be your average, everyday beetle, but they’ve got a surprise up their tiny little sleeves — or more accurately, their rear ends. They’ve got some serious junk in the trunk.